Mega scheme yet to rid Karachi of its mega troubles

Water, sewage and transportation remain a daily struggle for the citizens

KARACHI:

Reminiscent of other government schemes, a Rs11,00 billion package announced for Karachi by the previous government also appears to have frazzled out without proper implementation.

The development package was announced during the visit of erstwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the port city in September of 2020, and was to be shouldered jointly by the centre and the provincial government.

Per the announcement, the federal government was set to pay its share of rupees 300 billion, while the remaining amount of rupees 800 billion was supposed to be supplemented the Sindh government. The mega package was meant to fund various developmental schemes for the port city, but long-standing issues like those pertaining to water provision, sewerage and transport were to be prioritised.

For this, it was necessary to complete the K-IV mega water project, meant especially for Karachi. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced that city’s water problem would be resolved permanently within three years, hinting at better, more liveable city by 2023. For a better sewage system, Karachi’s storm drains were to be rehabilitated and the city’s garbage collection and disposal system was to be completed. The city’s public transport system was to be brought to pace with modern cities by completing the Karachi Circular Railway, while the city’s road infrastructure was to be developed and primed for bus rapid transit projects.

However, despite the tall claims, little seems to have manifested beyond paperwork for the long-troubled mega city. Expressing dissatisfaction over the pace of implementation of the package, MQM Pakistan leader Muhammad Hussain said that so far Rs 1.5 billion has been spent on fixing the city’s storm drains alone.

He further said that the provincial government has to spend a small amount of its share under the annual development programme every year, while at least 40 per cent of the money spent under the provincial government goes out as kickbacks. “Therefore, even if the provincial government has spent on the development package for Karachi, it has not made any significant difference,” he commented.

According to him, a committee consisting of federal and provincial agencies was set up to implement the Karachi package but it did not appear to be very active.

Per the Provincial Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, the provincial government has been trying to solve the long-standing problems of Karachi from day one. He claimed that the funds for Sindh had been withheld by the former federal government and cuts were made in them. “Despite this, the provincial government has been spending its share of funds regularly as per schedule,” he told.

Speaking further, the minister said that he hopes that the present federal government will show more seriousness in resolving Karachi’s most prevalent issues. “Karachi is the economic hub of the country. The development of Karachi requires the cooperation of the federal government,” expressed Shah, shifting the onus of the scheme’s viability on the centre.

The Express Tribune also tried contacting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Zaidi, for his comments on the matter and to shed light on the allegations made against his party’s government. However despite repeated phone calls and messages the PTI leader has remained unavailable to the press.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2022.